Basketball is the major college sport in which that one recruiting class, that one player, can change the face of a program immediately. Freshman often play well and contribute in football and baseball, but they're almost always a small piece to the puzzle and they usually need more polishing. In college basketball, a great freshman like Carmelo Anthony can be the whole puzzle.
The only problem with energetically pursuing that star kid is that he might never be a great sophomore or junior. He'll likely be shaking hands with David Stern before he laces up for more than a second college season, if he steps on campus at all. The nature of the business, the NBA, is what makes all the difference between men and women in college basketball. Money creates the differences in the recruiting, in building a program, and in the sport as a whole.
Even though the team's performance on the court has been less than stellar the past few seasons, men's basketball coach Pete Gillen and his staff have done a good job bringing in some well-respected recruiting classes in their time at Virginia. They've signed a plethora of players -- like last season's All-ACC freshman J.R. Reynolds -- who may not have been McDonalds All-Americans, but have a much better shot at sticking around and contributing for three or four years. When it comes down to it, college coaches have only so much time and money to spend on recruiting. With limited resources, a decision has to be made. Is it better to go after those players who will bring the team's talent level to new heights for one season then leave the program scrambling, or guys who will stick around for a while and allow the team to build a sense of continuity? The best answer seems to be a healthy mix of both.
"Obviously whenever you are recruiting a high school kid you definitely take into consideration
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